Tissue culture treatment (TC treatment): Why TC-treated surfaces matter in cell culture

Improving cell attachment and consistency: The impact of TC-treated labware on stem cell and CGT applications

Surfaces for adherent cells to grow well on are typically TC-treated to facilitate adhesion through protein adsorption. © Green Elephant Biotech.

Overcoming hydrophobic surfaces

The development of tissue culture treatment (TC treatment) revolutionized how scientists grow cells in vitro. In the mid-20th century, researchers discovered that simply placing cells on untreated plastic was ineffective because most plastics, especially polystyrene, are naturally hydrophobic and resist cell attachment. The breakthrough came in the 1960s when scientists developed methods such as gas plasma treatment and corona discharge to modify the surface properties of polystyrene. These treatments introduced polar chemical groups that increased surface energy and wettability, making the surface suitable for cell adhesion. This advancement laid the foundation for the modern TC-treated culture vessels that are now standard in laboratories worldwide.

Cell culture basics: Why the surface matters

Successful cell culture requires recreation of an environment that mimics the body as closely as possible. Cells need a balanced supply of nutrients, stable temperature and pH conditions, and, for many cell types, a suitable surface that supports attachment and spreading.

Two main cell culture types exist: adherent cell cultures and suspension cell cultures. Adherent cells, such as fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and epithelial cells, require a surface to attach and proliferate. In contrast, suspension cells, such as lymphocytes and suspension-adapted Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-S) cell lines, grow freely in medium and do not depend on surface interactions. For adherent cells, the surface chemistry is a critical factor influencing morphology, growth rate, and even the cells’ ability to differentiate or perform specialized functions.

What happens in TC (tissue culture) treatment?

Tissue culture treatment modifies plastic surfaces to make them more hydrophilic and conducive to cell growth. The most common methods are gas plasma treatment and corona discharge. Both techniques expose the plastic to ionized gases or high-voltage electrical discharges, which introduce oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups, such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amine groups, onto the surface.

These chemical changes increase the surface energy, allowing adhesion-mediating proteins - present in serum-containing media or added as defined supplements - to adsorb more efficiently. Because these proteins, such as fibronectin and vitronectin, mediate cell adhesion in the body, their improved adsorption on TC-treated surfaces effectively mimics aspects of the extracellular matrix (ECM), resulting in better cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. In serum-free systems, additional coating with ECM proteins or synthetic peptides is often required to achieve similar adhesion.

Different cells, different needs

Not all cells respond equally to TC-treated surfaces:

• Standard adherent cell lines (e.g., HeLa, Vero, CHO adherent lines) grow well on standard TC-treated vessels.

• Primary cells and specialized stem cells (e.g., iPSCs, MSCs, neural progenitors) may require further surface optimization because of their sensitivity to microenvironmental cues.

  
  

TC treatment provides a baseline suitable for many cell types, but specialized cells often require additional coatings with ECM proteins or synthetic peptides to maintain viability and functionality.

Coatings: The next step for specialized cells

While TC treatment provides an excellent general-purpose solution, specialized or sensitive cell types often need an additional level of control. Coatings with extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen, laminin, or vitronectin — or synthetic ECM mimetics — are commonly used to guide cell adhesion, maintain stem cell pluripotency, or drive specific differentiation pathways. This is particularly important in advanced applications such as regenerative medicine or Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT), where precise control over cell behavior is crucial.

The role of culture vessels in biopharma manufacturing

In Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) manufacturing, the choice of culture vessels significantly impacts product quality, scalability, and cost. Consistent TC-treated surfaces ensure reproducible cell growth and function, while innovations in scalable, resource-efficient systems are becoming critical to meet the demand for large quantities of clinically relevant cells and help bridging the gap between research-scale cell culture and industrial CGT manufacturing.

References

Freshney, R. I. (2010). Culture of animal cells: A manual of basic technique (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. DOI:10.1002/9780470649367